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Dennis Koire, California Civil Rights Activist, Dies…

April 20, 2011
By

Thank you Dennis for standing up for equal rights.

On February 13, 2011 Dennis was shot during a robbery. A bullet lodged in his brain. He was hospitalized, in a comma, until contracting pneumonia. The love of his life, Julie Palasco, was also shot, she died at the scene of the crime. Pasqual Raul Loera was arrested and charged with murder. Loera shot Dennis and Julie, ransacked their home, and stole a black Infinity, a car Dennis and Julie were trying to sell to help them ease into retirement. Dennis and Julie were good hearted people who cared about others. Their senseless deaths have left huge holes in the lives of their many friends and loved ones.

As a California college student in the early 1980s, Dennis objected to the reduced prices local businesses offered to only women on so-called Ladies’ Days or Ladies’ Nights.  So Dennis sued a bar and seven car washes after he requested the discounts offered to women only to be refused.  The owner of one car wash told Dennis to “come back when you’re wearing a skirt or bring your mother and have her drive.”  After losing at the trial court and Court of Appeal, Dennis took his case to the California Supreme Court, which unanimously reversed the lower courts and ruled that sex-based promotions such as Ladies’ Days and Ladies’ Night were per se injurious and violated California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act.

Koire v. Metro Car Wash is one of California’s most significant civil rights cases. Thanks to Dennis’s courage the citizens and visitors of California are assured of equal treatment in the provision of public services. Millions of people and future generations should be indebted to Dennis for standing tall for his beliefs, and refusing to be discriminated against for no other reason than being a man.

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4 Responses to Dennis Koire, California Civil Rights Activist, Dies…

  1. steve pouliot on January 4, 2012 at 6:43 PM

    in 1983 dennis came to me with some rough demo tapes he had recorded of his own music, we then deciced to go into the studio and i would record and produce his record. we spent about a year on that record. then we launched into a project with julie singing her songs and dennis and i produced. we recorded stuff thru the 80s and we lost touch. when i heard about this on the news, i couldnt believe it! God Bless Julie and Dennis.
    your friend steve

  2. Marc A. on April 21, 2011 at 2:18 AM

    Rest in Peace Dennis and thank you.

  3. Ray on April 20, 2011 at 4:23 PM

    Very tragic news indeed.

  4. Crusader on April 20, 2011 at 8:39 AM

    Thanks for the very fitting tribute. Dennis will be missed by all of those whose lives he touched!

    Crusader

    Palm Springs, CA

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